The present invention relates to a structurally novel attachment which lends itself to practical and reliable use on an upper end portion of each of the side rails of a conventional-type inclined ladder and to a ladder incorporating said attachment. The invention includes a bracket designed to keep the upper end of the ladder away from the building wall and has a backing plate on which a resilient pad and, optionally, a cover are attached, each of which is adapted to minimize the likelihood of the ladder slipping out of place and marring or damaging the siding-covered outside wall surface of a building.
The concept of providing inclined ladder rails with cushioned attachments is old and well known. U.S. Pat. No. 3,780,828 to Overturf describes an anti-slip ladder attachment in which the attachment consists of a pad of a material such as foam rubber pivotally attached to the side rail of the ladder. U.S. Pat. No. 2,904,128 to Boham et al describes a cushioned anti-skid, anti-scuff rail hood. A similar compressively resilient anti-slipping and anti-marring device is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,062,319 to Wright.